Wordplay (vs. Spellbound vs. Word Wars)

Let's make sure we're all caught up to speed, first. Wordplay is a documentary in theaters right now that's getting quite a bit of buzz. Everyone seems to love it, and it's about the world of crossword puzzles. The puzzlemakers, the puzzlesolvers, the New York Times editor Will Shortz, and the competition that ensues. Spellbound is the immensely popular documentary about the National Spelling Bee. It follows several kids and their parents as they win all the competitions and fight for first place. This one was nominated for best documentary at the Oscars a few years back. Word Wars is more of an underground documentary that never really rose to the surface. It's about the game of Scrabble and introduces us to some very interesting competitive characters. So, as you can already tell, the three movies are very closely related, and comparing the three is pretty much inevitable. It's a lot of nerdy people playing with words and fighting for first place. That's about all there is to it. In the end, Wordplay leaves a little to be desired, and that could possibly be only because it has to live up to the success of Spellbound and Word Wars. Many times Wordplay feels like an inside joke, and if you enjoy crossword puzzles as much as everyone in the movie does, you'll absolutely love the movie. But if you aren't a crossword fanatic (I don't think I've ever completed one in the newspaper), there's not enough left in the movie to carry it all the way. In Spellbound, you have cute kids, and that's about all you need for a successful film (ie: Mad Hot Ballroom). As if cute kids weren't enough, each one is full of life and personality, and between them and their parents, there are a lot of laughs to be had. Furthermore, everyone can relate to spelling. Even if you can't remember the spelling bee in elementary school, we all deal with it every day; there's some common ground there, which is important in a movie. There's enough here for us to enjoy the movie even though it's about something as boring and nerdy as spelling bees. In Word Wars, we have freakishly eccentric characters. While the movie definitely has its flaws, its characters are beyond belief, and that's enough to carry it. But in Wordplay, the characters are odd, and not odd enough for us to laugh or find them endearing. They're plain. Sure, you might find your favorite, but you won't be cheering for them like you did in Spellbound. There's not enough to laugh about, not enough to get excited about, not enough to talk about afterwards. It was fun while it lasted, but I was glad when it finished. Seeing how these people's minds work is fascinating, the film succeeds there. ("Move the D in Dunkin Donuts and you get Unkind Donuts. I've had a few of those before. Move the H in Noah's Ark and you get No, A Shark!") And it also makes you desperately wish you could play with words the way these people do, or at least finish one simple crossword puzzle. The film succeeds there, as well. (In fact, I plan on starting one in today's paper right after I finish this post.) Who would win in a fight? You'd be proud of all three in the end, as they all put forth a valiant effort, but first would go to Spellbound, second to Word Wars, and third to Wordplay.